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Warm air scuttles ski area opening By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Lingering warm air is taking a big chop out of the Rogue Valley's seasonal recreation opportunities dependent upon Old Man Winter to help provide a field for their fun. A dearth of snow atop Mount Ashland appears ready to scuttle Ski Ashland's plans for opening its ski runs Wednesday, the eve of Thanksgiving. The ski area needs 24 inches of snow at the base of the runs, yet had a paltry 11/2 inches there Thursday. And at the mountain's base, the city of Ashland had to postpone today's planned opening of the Darex Family Ice Rink on Winburn Way across from Lithia Park. Ashland Parks and Recreation Department workers have spent the past five nights trying to thicken the rink's ice, which is frozen over long lines of tubing through which refrigerant is pumped. The ice is grown incrementally each day by adding new layers, but the rink is still a good 2 inches shy of the 6-inch thickness needed before skating opens. "These warm nights really slow down the process," says Emily Jones, recreation supervisor at the rink. Daily highs during the third week of November are usually in the mid-50s with lows in the mid-30s, Orr says. But the highs on the valley floor have consistently edged above 60 this week, and the lows can't quite limbo beneath the 40-degree mark, he says. Moreover, precipitation levels remain far lighter than normal, and the snow level Thursday couldn't get below 8,000 feet, which is a hair higher than Mount Ashland's summit of 7,533 feet. Orr says a new storm front is slowly migrating from the Gulf of Alaska to the valley, where a chance of rain is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. But whether it packs a wet and cold wallop remains to be seen, because storms that trek over the Pacific tend to be warmer than those that reach Southern Oregon via a land route, Orr says. While the Darex rink provides its own water, it's the cool nights that keep the city skating on thin ice. The rink is already a full week behind last year's opening date, but that was because of a decision to trim the parks department's energy consumption by 12 percent - and the rink is a major electricity user, Jones says. The rink also will close March 3, two weeks earlier than last year, she says. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.